Glass Girl and Iron Dragon
by suumelo-onigiri48
Summary: Of all the cities in the world, of all the schools, they ended up at the same one. Fate had a funny way of working like that. Levy McGarden and Gajeel Redfox couldn't be more different. But maybe what they said was true: Opposites do attract. Gajevy. AU
1. Three Years

Recently I've found myself moving back into a hardcore Gajevy fan, so I felt like I had to write something for them. The highschool AUs been done before, but I thought I'd give it a try. Thank you for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated!

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><p><em>The first time Gajeel saw her, he had been a boy. It had been eighth grade, and he had never known she'd existed. Thinking back, he was a fool for not noticing. It wasn't that she was quiet. He was just ignorant. That day had been normal. But when their teacher retreated into the hall on his phone, the air seemed to still, the teenagers around him straining to hear his quiet voice speaking softly outside the door. He had come in, face strained and pale, visibly worried. A bead of sweat gleamed on his balding forehead. "Ms. McGarden? The office needs to talk to you." A chair scraped the floor behind him, and soft footsteps approached from behind him. And that's when Gajeel saw her. She was tiny, so tiny, like she would break with wind, like spun glass. Her form seemed buried in her oversized uniform, the regulation sweater dwarfing her. And her hair was the oddest thing-blue, but rich and almost natural looking. The class watched silently as she made her procession through the room. As she walked from the room, the teacher patted her gently on the shoulder, a pained look on his face.<em>

_ Levy didn't return that day. Or the next. She was gone for two weeks when the teacher finally made an announcement. "Levy's family encountered some unfortunate circumstances, so I am sad to say that she will not be returning to this school." And with that, the glass girl vanished, slipping from Gajeel's mind like a feather. Of course he forgot about her. He was a boy._

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><p>Levy's alarm filled the room with a horrible wail, its victim jerking upright in the chair she had fallen asleep in. Her head had been pressed against a thick book for the duration of the night, and the corners had left red imprints in her cheeks. Levy sighed. She was <em>exhausted<em>. Not that it wasn't her own fault. This was a common occurrence in her life. Reading until late, promising herself _she would finish after this page._ And by then she had fallen asleep. The blaring tone of the alarm shrieked again, jerking the girl out of her daze. She scrambled up, running her fingers through her wild hair. Wild _blue _hair. Not exactly a blessing. Levy threw on clothes, stopping for a minute to check her reflection in the mirror, frowning as she shoved an orange headband through her hair. Grabbing her phone of her desk, she powered it on, praying Lucy decided to give her a ride. Levy walked out of her room, angrily pressing the keys on her phone, cursing the piece of junk for getting frozen. She walked past the couch, slowing in front of it. "Hey, Dad. I'm going now." Her father's prone figure lay on the couch, and empty can of beer dangling loosely from his fingertips.

"Wait, Levy. Your mom needs to take a picture. Kindergarten only happens once; she doesn't want to miss it." His voice was slurred, half-closed eyes moving to look at her foggily. Levy swallowed and bit her lip.

"Try and get a job today, Dad. I think the grocery is hiring." She pried the beer can from his fingers, setting it on the table. Hoisting her backpack over her shoulder, she turned towards the door, hearing her father's muttered voice reminding her that her mother took in the money. _Poor Dad. Mom's been dead for three years now. _Levy yanked the stubborn door open, squinting as the bright sun glared into her eyes. Squinting against the light, Levy saw a car parked at the end of the driveway. A silver car… with a girl's hand waving at her out the window. _Yes!_ Levy grinned, running down the path. "Lu-chan! I'm saved!" She slid inside the car, smiling at her best friend. Lucy laughed, pushing her blonde hair away from her face.

"Cutting it a bit close, Levy!" Levy grimaced.

"Fell asleep reading. You know- that book I told you about?" Lucy nodded fervently in response.

"The ending is great, Levy! I read it at work. Don't tell Mira." Lucy winked, and Levy shook her head, grinning at her friend's antics. With a sputtering croak, Lucy's car rolled down the street, the two girls inside coughing at the smell of exhaust. "I need a new car." Lucy said in between coughs, causing Levy to erupt in a fit of giggles. The croaking car continued to drive down the street, peals of laughter coming from the windows.

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><p>The signboard loomed before them like a tower. A tower of doom and fate. In front of it, a mass of students shoved their way to the front, searching the board for their name. Angry yells, happy laughter, and sobs filled the air, intensifying the feeling of doom in Lucy and Levy. "I wish you luck." Levy and Lucy turned. Behind them stood Erza, a tall, red haired senior who excelled in any athletic aspect of school. Lucy grimaced at her friend.<p>

"How'd it go for you, Erza?" The redhead smiled.

"I got the classes I wanted. And the basketball team scouted me. And the lacrosse team. And the soccer team." Lucy gaped at her. Levy's expression was the same, highbrows raised. Not that they expected anything less from Erza.

"Lucy. Levy. Erza." Juvia approached the group, clad in her favorite color like usual. From neck to feet, her wardrobe consisted entirely of blue. Even her hair was blue, long and slightly curly. "The sports teams are arriving. You had better get your classes soon." Levy paled. They would be trampled to death if they went in with the muscled athletes. Grabbing Lucy's hand, Levy turned towards the mob, swallowing her fear and approaching them. She ducked in between two guys as a gap appeared, her hand slipping from Lucy's. The two tried to make eye contact, but were quickly separated by a swarm of anxious freshmen. Levy squinted towards the board, trying to shove her way in for a better view. _Too short._ She stood on her tiptoes searching for her name in the Juniors section. Her eyes fell upon it, and the red pin attaching the slip of paper pinned below her name. She stretched her arm, fingertips straining for the piece of paper. Her fingers closed around it- barely, but enough. She ripped it from the wall, pressing the precious piece of paper to her chest.

It was basically her life- her schedule for the next year. But before she could discover her fate, she had to escape the writhing human mob fencing her in. Levy shoved herself back into the crowd. She couldn't even see- the football players had started in, their height dwarfing her. An elbow caught her in the back and she stumbled, foot colliding with someone else's. She could feel her body hurtling towards the ground and she thrust her hands out, trying to brace her fall.

And then someone caught her, hauling her to her feet before she could fall on her face. Levy raised her head, brown eyes widening as they came in contact with red ones. A tall guy, face covered in shiny silver piercings and long and unruly black hair held her up. She smiled a bit at him, relieved she was safely on the outskirts of the mob. "Um, thanks!" He snorted releasing her wrist and turning back to the crowd.

"Be careful, shrimp." His voice was deep and rumbling, tinged with the slightest hint of amusement. Levy wrinkled her nose at his insult, turning back to her friends, eager to discover what Lucy's schedule was.

Gajeel plucked his schedule easily from the wall. It wasn't hard, his height dwarfing the rambunctious freshmen around him. The girl must've been even shorter than them, to have fallen that easily. He snickered a bit as the image of her tiny, shocked face popped into his mind. 'Shrimp' definitely suited her. She was probably a freshman, given her height. Maybe he'd see her around. Stop her from falling again.

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><p><em>But maybe, just maybe, he would be the one falling.<em>


	2. Tears

Guess who actually updated a fic. Enjoy! Thank you for your follows, comments, and favorites!

So it could've been worse. She didn't really have any bad teachers. And Lucy, Erza, and Juvia were all in at least one of her classes. The first day had gone well, for the most part, except for her near-collision with the ground in the morning. Levy groaned in embarrassment as she pulled her work uniform from her cubby.

She tied the apron around her waist, adjusting the scratchy blue fabric on her neck. She worked at café, in order to pay for her father's expenses. Mirajane sat a cup of tea in front of her, smiling at the girl. She pulled up a chair, smoothing her skirt as she sat down. "How was school?" Mira had graduated from the same school Levy attended, and she had opened the shop a year ago after her graduation from college. Levy smiled in appreciation and took a sip of the tea, hissing a bit as the hot liquid scalded her mouth.

"Huh…. a lot of homework for the first day. I guess they weren't kidding when they said junior year was hard." Mira nodded in understanding, and slid an envelope across the table to Levy. "What's this for?" Levy drew the stack of bills from the envelope, eyes widening as she thumbed through them.

"Your paycheck! Nice work for the past month." Levy stared at Mira.

"This…this is too much! I should've only made half of this!" She hurriedly tried to hand Mira back some of the money. Mira shook her head, expression sobering.

"Your family's in a bad place. I want to help." She paused. "And Levy… if anything happens with your father, make sure to come to me for help. I know he's not taking your mother's death very well." Levy swallowed, a lump in her throat.

"Thanks, Mira." She pushed the bills into the pocket of her pants.

"Also, take the day off. It's the first day of a school year. Hang out with your friends." Mira pulled the apron off Levy, ruffling the girl's hair and pushing her out the door. She sighed as she watched Levy walk down the street. Her life had been rough for the past three years. What with her mother's death and father's alcoholism. It was the least she could do to help her financial situation even a little bit.

Levy fingered the money in her pocket. Mira had always been generous to her, she knew. Without her job at the shop, she would probably be homeless.

Levy shivered, hugging her arms around her. It was only late afternoon, but the summer warmth was fading fast. She made a mental note to bring something warmer the next day.

"Hey." Levy jumped, head turning towards the voice. It came from the alley, and she could faintly see a shadowy figure in it. She took a step away, hands tightening on the straps of her backpack. The figure moved, and she could see a man's face, shadowed by a large hooded sweatshirt. "You shouldn't be wandering around here, little _school girl._"

Levy felt her panic rising, body tensing up. She couldn't get robbed. She needed that money. The man walked faster, and Levy turned, breaking into a run. She prayed she was faster than the man. Her house was still half a mile away.

Levy could hear pounding footsteps getting closer behind her, and her breath caught in her chest. She rounded a corner; feet skidding as her momentum almost carried her into a person. Her head snapped up, dreading who would be here.

It was _him. _

Gajeel looked down at the girl. Her face was flushed, eyes wide with fear.

"What are you doing here?" He growled, red eyes boring into hers.

"I just-" He cut her off,

"It isn't safe to be here, even in the afternoon." His eyes locked onto the man rounding the corner, and then onto the girl in front of her. Of course she was being robbed. She was probably 90 pounds, you would barely have to touch her to knock her over. "Go home."

She drew herself up to her full, rather unimpressive height. "I _am _going home. I live that way." She pointed down the street. Gajeel's eyes followed her finger, eyebrows locking together. She lived down there?

The girl pushed past him, slowing down to mutter a quick thanks as she hurried down the street. She was definitely weird. He shot a final glare at the would-be-robber, who was still lurking around the corner, and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking towards his own home.

Levy yanked her front door open, hands still shaking slightly from her encounter with the mugger. Her house was quiet, the rooms dark. She walked to the living room, praying her father had moved, that he had gone for the job interview at the grocery store.

He hadn't.

Her father was still lying on the couch, in his grease spotted clothes. The amount of beer cans had increased around him, and one was raised to his mouth. Levy strode up to him, yanking the can away from him. "Why didn't you go?" Her voice was quiet, but she felt a deep anger in her that she hadn't felt in years.

He laughed drunkenly, hand groping the table for another beer can. The tab popped, and he took a long swig of it. "They wouldn't hire me anyway, its fine! I have my daughter to work for me." At least he was a little more lucid than this morning. _At least he knew his wife was dead. _

"Dad- I have school. I have a life. I can't do this forever. We're going to run out of money!" He waved a hand around in the air.

"There's other ways of making money. I'm sure you'll figure something."

Levy turned her back on him, running to her room. Opening the door, she collapsed on her bed, and did something she hadn't done in years. She cried, tears running down her face, her body shaking with wails. She couldn't do this.

Levy cried for her father, for her mother, and for her life. She didn't know what to do. At this rate, she'd lose everything.

And as the moon rose in the city, a young girl cried, heart aching for her mother's warm hand, for her mother's love.

This was a little shorter than I would've liked, but hopefully the next chapter will be longer. And have more Gajevy.


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